


Cassandra

by MrsCharmant, QueerTertiaryAdjunct



Category: Star Trek, Star Trek: Picard, Star Trek: Voyager
Genre: Adoption, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Children, Day At The Beach, Domestic Fluff, Emotional Baggage, F/F, Family Bonding, Friends to Lovers, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Kid Fic, Nightmares, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-02
Updated: 2020-05-10
Packaged: 2021-03-01 02:08:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 12,489
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23437438
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MrsCharmant/pseuds/MrsCharmant, https://archiveofourown.org/users/QueerTertiaryAdjunct/pseuds/QueerTertiaryAdjunct
Summary: Seven finds an abandoned half-assimilated child in a Borg cube and decides it’s now her responsibility to raise her. Motherhood is a daunting task, though, so she thinks it might be a good idea to recruit a co-parent. Platonically, of course. What could go wrong?
Relationships: Raffi Musiker/Seven of Nine
Comments: 13
Kudos: 63





	1. I Will Raise the Child Myself

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As a heads up, this first chapter was written before Et in Arcadia Ego Part 1 was released, (that's right, kids- we started writing before the ship was canonised, such hipsters), so that means there are a few contradictions to current canon- in fact, this story is an AU starting off just around the end of episode 7.

Seven felt the connections tubes disconnect from the ports along her spine. The pain subsided to a dull ache and she leaned over, breathing heavily. Elnor walked up next to her.

‘Are you okay?’

‘I think so.’

He put a hand on her shoulder before looking up at the wall of screens.

'Seven? What’s that flashing dot over there?'

Seven’s head snapped up and her eyes followed Elnor’s finger to a small flash on one of the screens. She stood up, wincing as the muscles in her back protested, and brought the screen towards her. She blinked at it. She was sure she’d felt all of her connected drones- a shiver ran through her to call them that- get jettisoned into space. 

'Elnor, there are still a few xBs left.'

'No, that screen says it’s for the stasis pods.' He sounded just as confused as she was.

Still a little disoriented, she tapped on the bio sign. It was a blinking orange, noticeable in a sea of static red dots- whoever was in that pod was still alive.

Her eyes widened in shock and she pulled Elnor with her as she picked up a phaser. 

'We must go now.'

'What? Why?' 

She heard him trip over his own feet as she yanked him through the queencell’s door and hurried to close it behind them.

'The bio sign belongs to a maturation chamber. It’s where children- if they could be assimilated- were kept until they became fully matured. It is still functioning now, but will have sustained significant damage. If it fails before we reach it, the child inside will die,' Seven explained as they walked through the labyrinth of corridors. She paused at a six-way juncture, attempting to recall the route. She pushed Elnor down the far left passage as she heard him make an unintelligible noise of shock.

'They assimilated children?!' 

'Yes. If a child was taken, they would be put in the chamber. It would cause them to achieve maturation in a sixth of the time it would normally take to reach maturity. It took me two-point-five years.' She pulled him around a corner. 'This chamber seems to have evolved into a stasis chamber to protect the child. It would have begun to change around the time the Romulans captured the cube. It is probable that the inner seal on the chamber has ruptured, destroying the vacuum that prevents the child from breathing air. The child is currently suffocating, and if the outer seal fails, as is likely, it will die within moments.’

Seven stumbled to a halt as the layout of the cube faded from her memory, leaving her standing in the maze of hallways without a clear path to follow. She was near punching a wall when Elnor called her name out. She turned and followed his voice to the edge of a deep void where every level of the cube was visible. Across the chasm and two levels down was the failing stasis chamber, flashing red lights indicating its failure among the unlit doors.

Frantically looking for a quick way down, she gave up and simply used her Borg strength to rip through the metal railing in front of her. She shook her head at Elnor, telling him to back up as she moved a few paces down the corridor behind her. When she was back far enough, Seven launched into a run. She pushed off the edge, feeling for a second the emptiness of the chasm below her and the air ripping through her hair, the world narrowing until all she could hear were the harsh beats of her own heart. Suddenly, her foot was catching hard on the railing beneath her and she slammed onto the metal of the floor. 

'Are you alright?!' Elnor yelled as she groaned, feeling the wind get knocked out of her. 

'I am fine!' she shouted up between harsh breaths. ‘Go find a way down!’

She pushed herself up off the floor with difficulty and hurried over to the failing chamber. She looked through the clear external door and her heart clenched as she saw the body of a still-unconscious young girl inside, throat muscles fluttering as she struggled for breath. Seven took a breath, concentrated, and activated her rarely used assimilation tubules, inserting them into the access port. She was able to fully broach the inner seal without much effort and focused on trying to find a way to make the outer seal release without accidentally triggering the reactivation sequence for the first one. After some work she managed to transfer the outer seal release to manual controls, but when she tried to open the hatch she discovered it was stuck. 

Being unable to remove her assimilation tubes from the access port for risk of a full chamber failure, she pulled a jackknife from her boot and jammed it into the crack into the opening. Even pulling with all her strength and bracing herself against the wall, she was unable to pry it open. A frustrated sob forced its way out of her throat. Failure here was unacceptable.

Rapidly approaching footsteps made her abandon the knife wedged in the door and pick her phaser up from where she’d dropped it. Still connected to the chamber, she was forced to cross her arm awkwardly over her body to point it in the direction of the noise. She forced her thumb up the side to switch the weapon on as the footsteps got louder and louder. 

Elnor rounded the corner at full tilt, then stumbled back again, eyes wide, as he was faced down with a phaser. 

'It’s ok, Seven, it’s just me!' He said, raising his hands quickly. 

Seven let out a shaky sigh as she powered down the phaser and dropped it back down by her feet. 

‘I need help. I cannot get it open.' An angry tear escaped and spilled hotly down her cheek.

She watched as Elnor nodded, still looking shocked, then crouched down, pulling a knife from his belt and pressing it forcefully into the line of sealant near the floor. 

'Now, on three, pull as hard as you can. Ready?’

He nodded.

‘One, two… Three!' 

The seal started to release and Seven quickly pulled her tubules from the access port and wedged her fingers in the crack that started growing. They made eye contact and then collectively forced it open with both hands. It finally broke and a thick clear liquid rushed out, soaking she and Elnor’s legs. With no hesitation, she stepped forward and caught the child before she could fall to the floor. She felt very lightweight and fragile, and when Seven lifted her against her chest the slimy liquid started to seep into her jacket.

She looked down at the Romulan at her feet to see him shaking slightly.

'It’s ok, Elnor, she is out of immediate danger. However, we must make sure she receives medical attention soon.' 

The child was still shivering. 

Seven twisted around and took her jacket off and wrapped it around the child. She shifted the child until one arm was under her knees and the other was under her back. 

Elnor picked up both knives, pushing them into loops in his belt, and Seven followed him down towards the lift back to the queencell floor.

'What will happen to her?' Elnor asked as he checked a corner before turning. 

'I… I do not know. I’ll look for her parents, but if they were not already killed or assimilated in the Borg attack, they are now- they will have been jettisoned with everyone else.' Seven sighed. She tried not to remember the sensation of the wave of death rolling through her mind as the drones were killed.

They reached the lift and took it to the queencell level. Walking through the halls to the sickbay, the persistent shifting of the cube walls grated on Seven’s tired mind. She stopped for a moment, Elnor falling still behind her, and placed a hand against the wall. Briefly, the shifting and clicking of the moving pieces slowed to a stop.

Surprised, she turned to Elnor, who stared curiously at the wall. 

'I guess I still have some residual control over the cube.' Seven paused. ‘We are close to the sickbay. A few corridors ahead.'

They continued walking down the corridor and the still walls followed her, freezing before she got within a few feet of a section. It was quiet and she tried to keep her mind from wandering to the uncertain fate of the fragile body in her arms. Even if the child was able to heal from her assimilation, there was no place in the world for her. But no, she could not allow herself to speculate on the future with such immediate problems.

'Hey, Seven. I think this is the sickbay.'

Shifting back to reality, she found they were walking into a clean, undecorated room full of medical equipment.

'Alright, can you find me a tricorder, or whatever they use.' 

She set the girl down softly on the biobed and retucked her jacket around it. 

Seven leaned over the biobed and studied her. She, like all Borg, had papery pale skin and a smooth and bald head. She could see the purple veins in her eyelids flutter slightly. Thankfully, due to the evolution of the stasis chamber, it looked like the implants hadn’t taken over much yet- she still had both natural eyes and there weren’t many other implants, but her left arm was replaced with a medical device. 

A medical drone, Seven thought. There hadn’t been many medical drones operational when she was on a cube, but those that were there were considered extremely valuable. 

A clattering behind Seven caused her to turn and look at Elnor. He was holding two vaguely familiar devices, with a tray of thin metal objects overturned on the floor in front of him.

‘Sorry,’ he said sheepishly. ‘I think this is the thing you were looking for, I can’t understand it but it looks sort of familiar.' He waved the other object in his left hand. 'I think this turns on the biobed.'

She nodded at him and grabbed both devices, figuring out how to turn on the biobed with the control. There was a slight humming as the bed turned on and Romulan letters appeared on the screen before her. General information on the child started appearing: species, gender, age.

Species: Hybrid, ¾ species 5618, ¼ species 3259, Sex: Female, Biological Age: 5.6031 years, Assimilation Date: 2360

‘Species 5618 must be human, right? What’s the other one?’ Elnor asked, looking over her shoulder.

‘She is one-quarter Vulcan, according to this information,’ Seven said, stroking an index finger over the slight point of the child’s ear. 'If her body is at five years of physical age, then she would not have been in the maturation chamber for long before the Romulans captured this cube.' She waved the tricorder over the child’s body and more information showed up. 'She was put into a chemically induced coma when she was placed in the chamber. She will be fine until we can find a place to get real medical attention. However, you must acquire a sheet from somewhere so we can cover her, we will need to keep her at a reasonable body temperature.'

In her periphery, Elnor nodded and went to rifle through the cupboards. She set the tricorder down next to her and looked around for a cloth and a bowl to hold water. By the time Elnor came back with the sheet, she had found a suitable receptacle and was filling it. She put everything down next to the child and helped Elnor lift her to pull the jacket away, and wrap the sheet around her. She dropped the sticky jacket down on the floor and tucked the fabric absently closer to the child’s ankles.

Seven dipped the cloth into the warm water and passed one to Elnor and they both sat perched on the edge of the bed.

'Gently wipe her arms like so’ she said, demonstrating, ‘And be careful to work around any implants. They are melded to her bones and muscles, and the surrounding tissue will be sensitive and fragile.'

Elnor gently wiped down her right arm as Seven worked on cleaning the sliminess from the mechanical limb. 

'Did you look like this? Were you as covered in implants as she is?' he asked as he cleaned the slime gently from around the girl’s limp fingers and wet the cloth again.

'No,' Seven paused, remembering. 'I was worse. I had a mechanical arm as she does, but that was only one of many modifications. I had an optical implant, of which I still have a remnant. My spine is reinforced, and modified with the ports that allowed me to connect to the cube. Every bone in my body is in some way strengthened, either by implants or by a completely synthetic part. The star-shaped implant on my right cheek feeds into the system that reinforces my jaws and neck stabilizers. They function to keep my neck from breaking and to protect the top of my spine. I was a tactical logistics drone and the prosthetic arm helped with my function aboard the cube. The implant on my hand was originally hidden by synthetic skin, but at some point it melted through and the EMH aboard Voyager was not able to hide it.’

She talked as they worked, trying not to stiffen as she felt Elnor’s eyes on her.

‘I cannot imagine a species justifying such brutality,’ he said thickly.

'The pain that I went through to remove the non-essential implants was unbearable. I do not remember it well as I was kept sedated after nearly destroying the biobed when my optical implant was removed.' Seven breathed out. 'I am just happy she will not have to experience that pain as the only implants she has are now vital to her survival. She will be able to choose what she does with her arm, if she wants to go under surgery to remove and replace it.’

'Will she be that pale forever? Does her hair grow back?'

Seven laughed softly. 'No, and yes. Her skin will return to its original tone in a little over a week when her circulatory system starts to return to normal. Her hair will grow back, too, but I do not intend to stimulate the follicles into accelerated growth, as was done to me by the EMH when I was first rescued by Voyager.’ She ran her fingers across the girl’s white forehead. ‘Nobody should have control over an individual’s appearance but themself,’ she told him fiercely.

She stood from the biobed and grabbed a fresh cloth, soaking it in the now-cool water and beginning to delicately wipe across the girl’s face and neck. Focused only on the child, she rubbed slime from the child’s cheeks and the line of her sleeping lashes, following around the shell of her ear and the curve of her chin. Her throat constricted against an onslaught of emotion, a peculiar blend of relief and grief. This girl’s parents were dead, she was assimilated, she undoubtedly looked unrecognizable anyway, and she would have nothing familiar left in the world for her. Seven brought the cloth up to the top of her head and cleaned around a flat skull implant that went all the way back to her spine and neck.A shock to her system made her freeze, the cloth slipping from her fingers, landing with a wet splat on the edge of the biobed.

'Those idiots! What exactly does he think he is doing?' she exclaimed.

'What? Which idiots?' Elnor asked.

'Picard and the ship he’s on.' Seven told him grimly, ignoring the contradictory face Elnor was making at hearing Picard labeled idiotic. 'They have used a transwarp conduit to cross twenty-five lightyears and are being pursued by a Romulan ship.' The image of more activity in the conduit flashed across her mind. 'Many more ships that left from here just entered as well. They will be in some serious trouble if they do not get help.' Seven sighed, resigned. 

'And we will be that extra help.'

‘How will we get there?’

Seven raised her eyebrows at him.

'This ship?! Can it even move anymore?' Elnor asked, standing up. 

She quirked an eyebrow. 'We will see.' 

Wiping her sticky hands on her pants, she pulled a hair tie out of her pocket and yanked her hair back into a ponytail.

'Now, you will stay here and watch over the child. I’ll go back to the queencell and see if I cannot get this old cube up and running. I will open ship-wide comms so you can hear me at any time as well as letting the xBs know what we are doing.'

She could see a certain amount of alarm in his eyes but he nodded resolutely and she patted his hand before heading back to the queencell. It was only a few corridors down but the nervousness building in her stomach made the journey seem far longer. As Seven hesitantly stepped back into the imposing room, she commanded, 'Open ship-wide comms.’

‘Ship-wide communication channel open,’ the computer responded.

‘To everyone left on this ship, we will be flying into a transwarp corridor to assist a small ship fight the fleet of Romulan ships that just left. To all those not wishing to stay aboard and fight against the Romulans, you may leave, there are still ships in hangar bay nineteen.’

Seven gave it a few tense minutes but no xBs left or began to move towards the hangar bay. 

'I thank you for your bravery in this time. We will be leaving soon.' Seven closed the comms and reopened a channel to the sickbay. 'Elnor, I will be reconnecting to the cube.’

‘Is that safe?’

‘That is not a question we can allow ourselves to ask. If we are able to start moving you will be able to tell. During the fight, I am entrusting you with the child’s safety.’ She softened her voice. ‘I know you will not fail. I advise you to enable the biobed chest restraint to keep her on the table if we’re hit.'

'Of course, Seven. And good luck.' 

Elnor went quiet.

Seven took in several deep breaths, trying to calm herself and summon enough courage to rejoin the cube. She smoothed and re-tied her hair, running her fingers along the back of her Borg hand over and over, knowing she was just stalling the inevitable. Wiping her sweaty palms off on her pants, she pulled forward the screens. With a twist of the main screen, she activated the connection and then turned around and waited. The clicking of the tubes reverberated ominously throughout the queencell as they lowered. A sharp sound echoed and then she felt a painful impact landing on her spine. It was repeated twice more and she felt herself become dizzy again, her nerves sparking up her spine to her brain.

A calming sensation took over, removing the dizziness and coating her mind in a thick, comfortable film. She felt detached, like she was floating. She felt a tingling close to her eyes rise and then fade. Her chest relaxed. She could finally breathe easy after all the pain she’d felt. It spread around her like a thick blanket on a cool night.

Seven could feel her consciousness expand, like the cube becoming one with her body. She felt the shifting walls like it was her hands and fingers moving. The near-silent pulse of energy became her heartbeat and the power flowing through the conduits was her blood. The unnatural cold of the cube’s atmosphere touching her skin was just like its outside walls touching the frozen emptiness of space. She could feel the xBs walk on her floors, every shifting of weight, every rough shoe and every piece of equipment they were dragging. 

She could sense the xBs’ revulsion at being reconnected to a collective, but also the encompassing relief as they realized they had each retained some control. She was one with their pain, the loss of their friends and loved ones, the implant removal and its phantom sensation, the grief over their past lives. She tried to lift and soothe the ache for the time being, like a mother placing a kiss on a bumped head or a skinned knee. 

A mother, mother, mother, mother… The thought rippled through the xBs like leaves moving in the wind and for a moment Seven couldn’t understand where it had originated until she realised-

It was her own. Her pain sliding into the sea of buzzing minds. Icheb. Her son. He was gone.

The sharp ache of his absence brought her out of the dreamy consciousness she was experiencing. She had a mission to do. An important mission.

Seven brought the flight and weapons screen towards her, activating the weapons system with a touch of her fingers. She felt the hum and wheeze of unused systems being brought back to life, now for a different purpose, protecting and defending instead of conquering and destroying. The flight systems and the warp core groaned as Seven pulled them out of comfortable hibernation. She activated the warp coils and let them warm up as she roused the impulse flight. She felt everything coming alive beneath her feet and power coursing through her like a plucked string. The transwarp systems were activated with a twitch of her finger.

'Be ready to fight.' Seven’s disembodied voice echoed calmly through the cube. 'We- I- Seven of Nine- know we will survive, we will live to see another day. Do not worry, my children, for if we go, I will be with you to the end.' 

Seven felt the moment they exited the corridor and joined the explosive charge. 

The planetary defenses of a silver-blue world were fighting in tandem with strange hovering flowers and with La Sirena against a fleet of Romulan ships. Romulan ship debris was scattered throughout the battlefield but it paled in comparison to the destruction on Picard’s side. Half of the planetary defenses and its shield matrix were decimated, most of the small crafts were in bad shape, and La Sirena was missing a chunk of a wing, flying crooked.

Time slowed for her as she saw a barrage of torpedoes launch from a Romulan interceptor and fly towards the small ship. She forced the impulse drive to its max and stopped the torpedoes mid-flight at the cost of a chunk of plating. The impacts rocked the cube but Seven felt no loss of life.

She set off a cascade of flares in the open hole in the cube’s side and the distraction it caused gave her the right amount of time to begin her assault. Rotating her finger in a circle, Seven started the cube into perpetual motion. All sides were given access to fire targeted phasers and torpedoes at will. 

The first barrage of phasers sliced through many Romulan ships, deactivating a fifth and destroying another fifth of their fleet. Finally, the Romulans started moving again and all focused in on Seven. Right as she had hoped. 

She sent out a wave of torpedoes, half flash and half shrapnel. The shrapnel torpedoes exploded like landmines, embedding themselves into the ships and beginning to burn, melting holes into their hulls and wings. The flash activated a millisecond before the third step of her plan went into effect.

The outer core of the cube detached itself and reformed into nanoprobes, which were then launched at the rest of the Romulan ships, infecting them immediately. They went through the holes left by the shrapnel burns and entered any system they could touch. Weapon systems were deactivated and destroyed. Navigation systems were wiped, leaving the Romulans drifting with no guidance control. Life support systems were corrupted, releasing lethal gas that killed anything trying to breathe. Finally, hulls were disassembled and warped, leaving no way for any Romulan on the ship to survive. 

Seven let out heavy breaths as she slowed the spinning cube to a stop. She could feel the small fighter ships focus on the cube, weapons at the ready. She powered the cube’s weapons down and spoke.

'We mean you no harm- we come in peace.' Seven’s voice echoed through their comms. 

Bringing up the sickbay channel, she asked, 'Is the child alright?'

'She is fine, we were a little shaken around during the transwarp flight, but she didn’t get hurt.’

‘And you?’

He laughed.

‘Don’t worry about me.’

She let out a sigh of relief.

'Good, that is good. I have a feeling we’ll be transported off soon, so bring her up here. And do not forget my jacket, I like that one.' 

'Of course, Seven,' Elnor said, voice warm with amusement. 'We’ll be there in a moment.' 

She reactivated the ship-wide comm.

'I will give up control to whichever xB who wishes to take it. I will dismantle the queen connection, enabling navigational control to be taken at will. You may do what you wish to this ship, be it destruction, deactivation, or continued use. You fought well. Prepare yourselves for the dissolution of the collective.' 

Seven disconnected from the tubes again, feeling a renewed pulse of pain rushing through her spine, her head beginning to ache. Ignoring it, she set to work leaving directions for whoever took over next on how to dismantle the queencell and form a traditional ship bridge with accessible navigational and weapons systems.

Just as Elnor came through the door, she felt the familiar tingle of a transporter beam and found herself standing on the transporter pad of La Sirena, five sets of eyes turned to her. 

She knew she wasn’t a pretty sight, sweaty, covered in maturation chamber slime, hair a mess and fingers covered in systems grime.

‘What the fuck is going on?’ Raffi said, after a few moments.

'Elnor! Seven!' Picard finally collected himself, voice echoing through the little ship. 

‘Picard!’ Elnor answered, beaming at the old man.

She turned to him and he shifted his stare from her to the child in Elnor’s arms. She shook her head, hoping he understood that she would explain later, and turned to Elnor, taking the girl from his arms to hold her against her chest. She stepped off the pad to descend the steep ladder to the med bay. 

Placing the child on the biobed, Seven spoke, 'Activate EMH.'

'Please state the nature of the medical emergency.' The EMH looked down. 'Well, who’s this?'

‘Do you have any knowledge of the Borg?’

He raised his eyebrows.

‘Fortunately, I have all collected data from the Emergency Medical Hologram of the USS Voyager, who-’

'Good. I have rescued this child from the Romulan Borg cube. She was close to suffocation but we managed to get to her. I wish to remove her transponder and everything that connects her to the collective- her other implants cannot be removed. Her human and vulcan systems must be revived so they can retake control from the Borg systems.' She looked to the EMH. ‘Data on Borg systems removal should be part of the knowledge you obtained from Voyager’s EMH.’

She watched his eyes flash a static blue as he scanned through his holomatrix for the  
procedures, then blink back to their regular brown. 

'I understand. You can stay in the sickbay while I operate if you wish but please move behind the forcefield for reasons of contamination.'

Seven clenched her jaw in irritation but conceded. 

'I understand, Doctor. Please,' she hesitated and implored, 'be extremely careful with her.'

The EMH nodded softly and brought up the forcefield once she had moved back. 

Standing behind the field, Seven could hear every movement, every implement he picked up, every incision. Forcing her eyes away after a few minutes, she anxiously picked at the crusted goop on the sleeve of her jacket, before folding it and placing it into the cleaning receptacle. 

She’d be heartbroken if it was ruined- it had been a gift from B’Elanna. Her friend had presented her with the jacket shortly after she’d told her of her decision to join the Rangers- it was aesthetically attractive but also durable, made from tough, near impenetrable fabric. She’d cherished it for a long time now as one of her only real possessions.

It was a life on the move, Seven thought as the EMH’s tools whirred in the background. Never staying in one place long enough to begin collecting mementos or making memories.

Her jacket finished cleaning and she shrugged it back on, rubbing her thumb over a hand-sewn patch on the lining near a hidden pocket. It was worn down, fuzzy and faded from the agitated brush of her own nervous fingers over the years, but she still remembered the words it bore.

Stay safe. Protect those who have no one else. Don’t forget who you are.

What Miral had told her favorite aunt. B’Elanna’s advice to a fellow believer. Tom’s reminder to a cherished friend. They’d stitched them on by hand the night before her 30th birthday. 

Despite the fact that it’d felt endless, the surgery lasted less than an hour. When it was over, she thanked the doctor and sat with the girl for a long time, watching the twitch of her eyelashes in REM, stroking the back of her hand. After a while she got up to find something to eat.

Going up to the mess, she selected a nutritional supplement at random and sat heavily down at one of the tables. 

‘Delicious,’ Raffi said drily, coming to sit opposite her. ‘You know that thing can make real food, right?’

‘I do not feel very hungry at present.’

‘Yeah, no kidding, you just watched a live surgery, as I understand it. That’s enough to put anyone off their fries.’ She gave Seven a critical look. ‘Hey, honey, how are you feeling?’

‘I sustained no injuries, and the Borg child that we rescued has a positive prognosis, according to the EMH.’

‘Yeah, and that’s real good news, but I meant- You’ve been through a lot today, we all have, and I’m just checking in that you’re feeling okay.’

Seven looked at her, surprised.

‘I am- fine,’ she said after a moment of thought. ‘Are you well?’

‘Uh, yeah, I’m doing fine too. Hey, when you're finished with that, JL was looking for you.’

‘Thank you.’

Raffi patted her hand and got up again.

After her meal, she went and knocked at Picard’s door.

‘Seven! Just the woman I was looking for.’

‘You wanted to speak to me?’

‘Yes, sit down. Can I interest you in some tea this time?’

She gave him an even, calculating look.

‘Tarkalean, with honey.’

‘Splendid. Alright, can you please tell me what’s going on with the young girl?’

She sighed.

‘I got to the cube because Elnor activated a Fenris distress signal. There was a full-scale  
attack happening- most of the xBs were lost.’ She waited until he met her gaze and then told him gently, ‘Your friend Hugh did not make it. I’m sorry.’

Picard closed his eyes for a moment, his hand shaking on the tea tray.

‘Go on,’ he said.

‘After the Romulans were stopped, we saw a malfunctioning stasis pod alert on a screen. We  
went down, broke it open and rescued the child.’

‘And now she’s here?’

‘Yes. The doctor was able to remove most of her borg systems successfully and predicts she will wake up in a few hours.’

‘And then what?’

Seven took a sip of tea and looked away.

‘Seven, she’s a young girl. Where will she go? We can’t have a child aboard La Sirena. Where are her parents?’

‘She was in the stasis pod for many years, her parents are long dead.’

He nodded slowly.

‘I believe there is a Federation orphanage on Pylea, that’s not far. We’ll-’

‘No.’

‘No?’

‘Picard, I highly doubt the Federation’s capacity to provide for a rescued Borg child. The trauma of assimilation, the transition back to her individual self, it is extremely complex and difficult.’

‘You may be right, but that still does not give us an answer to the problem. Perhaps the xBs-’

‘Picard.’ She cut him off, mouth set in a tense line.

He gave a surprised smile but let her interrupt.

‘There is one clearly viable option. I will raise the child myself.’

His eyebrows shot up and he put his teacup down.

‘You?’ He gave a disbelieving short laugh.

‘Yes.’

‘What about your life? Your job, your friends, your home?’

‘I will resign from the Rangers. As for your other concerns, due to the nature of my work I have moved around a lot and am therefore not tied down. There is nothing in my life that could not be easily uprooted.’

‘But- having a child? That is a very lengthy and intense commitment for someone who had not been entertaining thoughts of motherhood even a day ago!’

‘How could you know whether I had considered motherhood or not?’

‘Look, I know you think you’re prepared for this-’

‘I am prepared,’ Seven said shortly.

‘I’m just asking you to think about this for a while. Motherhood is often the most difficult responsibility of a person’s life, it’s not to be taken lightly.’

‘That is good, as I am not taking it likely. Do you doubt my capabilities, Picard?’

‘No- Well, not exactly. But most first time parents need to do a lot of thinking, a lot of  
research and preparation, before they decide to have a child. They don’t just-’ he broke off.

‘’They do not just’ what?’

‘They don’t tend to find an orphaned child and decide an hour later they’re going to raise her for the next two decades.’

‘I have experience with children.’

He raised his eyebrows.

‘Oh?’

‘Yes. Aboard Voyager I had multiple experiences comparable to motherhood- I was a close companion to the young daughter of a fellow crew member, Naomi Wildman. In addition, I was the primary caregiver for a group of four children rescued from a borg cube for one year, although you might describe my role as closer to a governess than a mother. Though I do not see why I must justify my credentials as a parent to you!’ By the end of the tirade she was standing up, flushed and shouting, tea forgotten.

‘Seven, I didn’t-’

‘You have never been a parent, to my knowledge. You barely even know me and yet you seem to think you have the right to judge my competency for this task!’

Picard looked startled at her outburst, then chuckled softly.

‘Yes, I’m rather good at poking my nose in places it doesn’t belong, it would seem. I would likely attempt to offer counsel to anyone wishing to take on such a monumental task aboard my ship. I’m sorry, Seven.’

Seven closed her eyes for a second and sighed.

‘It’s alright. I- I appreciate that you have the child’s best interests at heart.’

‘I’d like to think so.’

‘I have wished for a child,’ Seven said softly. ‘I see- I saw Icheb as almost a son. His loss was devastating. It took me a long time to accept my own desires to love and support a child- my assimilation halted my emotional development at a young age and I have always struggled with identifying my feelings. But I have been desiring a family for many years now.’

‘I didn’t know. Seven, though I don’t claim to know you well, from what I’ve seen you’d make a wonderful parent,’ He smiled. ‘But- and I don’t mean to offend you again- a child is hard enough for two people, and single parenthood means that you will be solely responsible for another human being’s every requirement, both physical and emotional!’

Seven frowned, considering.

‘It is possible you are correct. Besides,’ she sighed, ‘I am… reluctant to give up my commitment to the rangers entirely.’

‘So single parenthood may not be the best choice for you,’ he prompted.

‘That assessment is likely correct. However, the facts remain that I am partnerless- and I will not give up this child.’

She huffed.

‘She needs me, Picard. Handing her over to the Federation fostering system would be… highly inadvisable. Adapting to human life is most challenging- after I was rescued by Captain Janeway I wished many times for guidance from another like me.’ She stared down at her hands. ‘Maybe I need her, as well,’ she said softly.

Picard nodded slowly.

‘You know, co-parenting a child does not necessitate a romantic relationship,’ he offered. 

‘You merely need another person who wishes to be a parent and who is not too attached to  
their current living situation.’

Seven snorted.

‘I suppose you are right, but what few friends I have are busy with their own lives and there isn’t a surplus of individuals willing to put their life on hold for the next two decades to raise a traumatised child with a stranger.’

He shrugged.

‘Maybe. Maybe not. I think you’d be surprised at how many people want to experience  
parenthood but don’t have the opportunity,’ He gave her a strange look, then added ‘You may not have to look far at all.’

‘The situation would also necessitate that they spend copious amounts of time with me.’

‘I know you’re naturally inclined to operate alone but surely being on a ship has prepared you for working with-’

‘The problem is not with me, Picard,’ Seven said stiffly, ‘I am aware people have a tendency to find me… difficult.’

He looked at her, then laughed.

‘What is funny?’ she demanded.

‘Ah, I’m sorry, Seven,’ he said, ‘It’s just that I’ve often heard the same thing about myself. Difficult people make the world more interesting, in my opinion. Besides, you are an intelligent, capable, beautiful woman, I’m sure it’ll hardly be a strain for someone to bear  
your company.’

She tilted her head.

‘Thank you. And I appreciate your advice, even if it was unsolicited, to begin with.’

Picard smiled at her, and she allowed him a small smile of her own before standing up from the chair.

‘I will consider the best course of action based on the discussed amendments to the situation.’

‘Best of luck,’ he said, raising an eyebrow, ‘And, Seven?’

‘Yes?’

‘That girl is very, very lucky to have you.’

‘...Thank you.’

When she got back to the sickbay several hours later, Raffi was sitting in the chair next to the bed, and she looked up as Seven got closer.

‘What’s her name?’ she said softly.

‘I am unsure, however, I copied over all available data on her from the cube- it may be on there.’ She gave Raffi a sidelong glance. ‘I will inform you if I discover it.’

‘That’d be… nice.’ She stroked a finger over the girl’s soft palm and watched her hand twitch  
in reaction.

‘She looks so damn fragile.’

Seven pulled a second chair over.

‘Yes,’ she agreed slowly.

‘The EMH said he was going to be okay?’

‘Yes.’

They were silent for a while.

‘You know, it seems like they’re little like this for such a short time. Blink and you’ll miss it.’ She smiled sadly. ‘I did.’

Seven gave her a curious look.

‘With my son Gabe. I- I wasn’t the best mom.’

‘Ah.’

Raffi didn’t offer up more information, and Seven didn’t ask, but she lay a hand on her forearm.

‘What’s going to happen to her, then?’

‘I am planning to raise her myself.’

‘Really?’

Raffi turned to her, eyes wide, and Seven steeled herself against a new wave of skepticism and disbelief, but instead she just said, ‘Congratulations- I’m so happy for you.’

‘You are?’

‘Of course! Hey, don’t get me wrong, you’ve got a hell of a job ahead of you. And single parenting, whew, I mean, I did it with another person’s help and I still managed to fuck it up...’ She trailed off, then gave a mirthless snort of laughter.

‘I am sure you did not-’

‘Save it, honey. And hey, what I meant to say was that I’m totally sure you’ll do a wonderful job. I guess I just wasn’t cut out for it.’

‘Raffaela, I do not believe that to be a correct summation.’

Raffi twitched awkwardly away from her, running a hand through her hair.  
‘What do you know about my life, anyway?’

‘I believe, from what little I know, that you are a kind and capable woman. One who was dealt a bad hand and has experienced suffering.’

Raffi raised a disbelieving eyebrow.

‘Yeah, well, even if I believed all that, it’s not like I get a second chance, is it? I fucked it up, end of story.’ She patted the sleeping girl’s hand gently one last time, then stood up. ‘May you be a better mother than I ever was,’ she said to Seven, nodding her head and turning to go. Seven grabbed her wrist.

‘Maybe it is not the end of the story.’

‘What?’

‘Raffi.’ She coughed, and cleared her throat, looking down to where her hand was warm on Raffi’s wrist. ‘I would like you to raise the child with me.’

Raffi dropped heavily back into her chair, staring blankly at Seven. She screwed her eyes shut and opened them again.

‘I’m sorry, could you repeat that!?’

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok, that's the first chapter up! We're going back and forth writing the chapter drafts- This was MrsCharmant's, and the next one will be mine (QueerTertiaryAdjunct). We'll post about once every two weeks, and we *do* have it planned out, and we *do* plan to finish. (Uh, maybe don't quote me on that.)


	2. Crazy Borg Lady

Seven ducked her head awkwardly.

‘You are correct in saying that child-rearing alone is a task of great difficulty, especially given the complications in the current circumstance. I believe the girl would benefit greatly from an additional parent.’

Raffi let out a brief, strangled laugh.

‘So you want me to- to what, go halfsies on a kid with you??’

‘Whilst that is not exactly how I would choose to phrase it, that is essentially-’

‘Are you high or something?’

‘I don’t-’

‘Because you can’t possibly be serious,’ Raffi continued on, cutting across her like she hadn’t spoken. ‘I mean, hey, I didn’t clock you as the type but I’ve been wrong before.’

‘If you’re saying my question suggests I am in a chemically altered state, I assure you, you are incorrect.’

‘So what, you’re one-hundred-percent seriously asking a woman you’ve just met if she wants to raise a child?’

‘Yes.’

‘That’s more of a third date question, at least,’ she said weakly.

‘A third-’

‘It’s a joke.’

‘Ah.’ Seven looked momentarily lost for a response before continuing to explain. 

‘This would be a platonic arrangement, mutually beneficial to all parties.’

‘Oh yeah, what am I supposed to be getting out of this?’

Seven gave her a long, steady look and eventually Raffi looked away, rubbing the back of her neck uncomfortably. Alright, fine, maybe she did know what she’d be getting.

‘Why’d you want me, then? Because I’m the closest warm body?’

‘You have many positive attributes,’ Seven said chastisingly, ‘and are an experienced parent, which I am not.’

‘Oh, I’m an experienced parent alright- only, in case you missed the memo, the only experience I’ve got is in fucking up!’ She threw her hands up in irritation at Seven then shoved her fingers into her hair, squeezing her eyes shut.

‘So now you will try again.’

‘No, babe, I can’t just try again. I had my chance.’

‘Why do you assume to only allot yourself a single chance?’

‘Because people can’t just play with the lives of little kids! You fuck up with one child, you don’t deserve the responsibility of another, comprende? And anyway, it’s not like I can drop everything and slot myself into your life. Your lives.’

‘I was given to understand you don’t have many obligations or ties to get back to once you leave La Sirena.’

‘Well, you were misled. I’m plenty busy.’

‘You live in a sad little house waiting for the sky to fall.’

Raffi stared at her, face flushing.

‘Excuse me, what the fuck?!’

‘That is what Captain Rios told me.’

‘Oh, he did, did he? I’m going to kill that little backstabber.’

‘What are you busy with?’

‘What?’

‘You said you were busy.’

‘I am. I’ve got- I’ve got a lot of things!’

‘For example?’

‘I’ve got… plants,’ she said defensively.

‘Plants?’

‘That’s right. Plants to look after, a house to maintain.’

‘Plants can be rehomed.’

‘Yeah, well- I’ve been thinking about getting back into business again.’

‘Business can be conducted from places other than Vasquez Rocks.’

‘I suppose you’re right. I- wait, wait, this is ridiculous! Look, it was… nice of you to offer, I guess, and your baseless good opinion of me is real touching, but you gotta know I can’t possibly agree to some half-brained impulse that’d affect the rest of our lives.’

Seven smoothed her jacket sleeves and smiled slightly, unruffled.

‘Don’t be so hasty. I am currently planning on leaving in three days’ time, if I am able to procure a house as quickly as I’d like. Please reconsider and answer me then.’

Raffi sighed.

‘Sure. Don’t hold your breath, though.’

Seven held out a padd and after a moment she took it.

‘What’s this?’

‘That is a document detailing the proposed arrangement, although I’m amenable to all and any changes.’

She snorted.

‘Okey dokey, CocoaPuffs.’

For the first time, Seven looked truly bewildered.

‘Cocoa… puffs?’ she said slowly. ‘I believe that is the name of an old earth breakfast food?’

Raffi grinned a little.

‘Oh, it’s something my dad used to call me a long time ago- I’m calling you crazy.’ She tapped the padd in her lap and then slipped it into her pocket. ‘I’ll read this and, uh, get back to you.’

Seven stayed by the bed for a while longer, before asking the EMH to alert her if there was any change in her condition and going to her room to make a call.

In her quarters, the viewscreen stuttered to life.

‘Seven of nine.’

‘Tuvok.’

‘It gratifies me to see that you are well.’

Seven tried to suppress a smile.

‘It’s good to see you, too, my friend.’

‘What is the nature of your call?’

She sighed.

‘I am… adopting a child.’

‘Congratulations.’

‘Thanks. I wish to attain your council in this matter.’

‘I see. Continue.’

‘The child- a young girl- was rescued from a borg cube, she likely has no memory of her upbringing, and she is one-quarter vulcan.’

‘Ah.’

‘As she grows older, there will be things I can’t explain to her, things I cannot share with her. As you are my friend, and are experienced with children, I had hoped you might be amenable to visit occasionally and help her.’

He inclined his head.

‘That is acceptable.’

‘In fact, in the earth tradition, I wish to name you and T’Pel as her godparents. Disregarding any and all ancient religious connotations, of course.’

Tuvok didn’t smile, but his eyes grew warm.

‘It is a great compliment that you would trust me with such a role. I will discuss it with T’Pel, though be assured that she will accept, as it is the logical choice. I will endeavour to message you by the end of the day.’

‘That’s wonderful. Thank you.’

‘Your thanks is unnecessary. Was that all you wished to discuss?’

‘...No. Tuvok, how did you- how were you sure you were making the right choices as a parent?’

Tuvok thought for a moment.

‘It is impossible to be sure that you have made the correct choice, and the responsibility of another person’s wellbeing is a great one. However, I have often thought your intellect to be impressive, and you care deeply for others- you are well-equipped for motherhood.’

‘That is kind of you.’

He frowned.

‘If you were vulcan, I would have merely reminded you that your logic would guide you to the optimal outcomes. However, I understand that with human parenting a certain amount of ‘intuition’ and ‘instinct’ is to be followed.’

She snorted at his dismissive tone.

‘Thanks anyway. How would you feel about visiting in about six months, if all goes well?’

‘How I would ‘feel’ is irrelevant, however, I am indeed amenable to that course of action. Do you know where you will reside?’

‘I’m actually going later today to look at a property I plan to purchase, on Osiris.’ She hesitated for a second, before adding ‘I have asked a friend to raise the girl with me.’

Tuvok raised his eyebrows a fraction.

‘Her name is Raffi- Raffaela Musiker.’

‘Ah, yes.’

‘You know her?’

‘I encountered her briefly at a Starfleet function in ‘82. I did not speak with her long but she appeared warm and headstrong. I believe she has a son?’

‘Gabriel. From what I understand , they are not on good terms. She was fired from Starfleet along with Picard’s resignation after the Mars attacks, which… significantly impaired her ability to function as a parent.’

‘I see.’

She expected Tuvok to question the wisdom of her choice but instead he said, ‘Then you must be prepared to be mindful of her well-being as well as that of your daughter.’

‘Yes.’

‘Is this to be a partnership of a romantic nature?’

‘No.’

He nodded.

‘If that is all, I will leave you to your... ‘house-hunting’. If you have any further queries, I will answer them.’

‘Alright. I’m very grateful for your advice. Goodbye.’ 

Around midday, the girl woke up. Her eyes- a dark golden-hazel, Seven noted with interest- shuttered sleepily apart and then went wide with fear. She was still too weak to move much but Seven was sure if she’d been able to she would have leapt out of the bed and made a break for the door.

‘Do not worry, it’s alright,’ Seven hastened, holding her hands loosely in front of her to show she was not holding a weapon.

The girl said nothing, her knuckles tightening on the bed sheets.

‘You are in a medbay. You’ve recently undergone surgical treatment so attempting movement is inadvisable in your weakened state. I promise, I will not harm you in any way. Your name is recorded as Cassandra Maclay?’

The girl- Cassandra- nodded slowly.

‘Hello, Cassandra. I am Seven of Nine.’

She held out a hand for her to shake but Cassandra reached out and lightly squeezed Seven’s pointer finger for a moment, saying nothing.

‘Do you wish to know how you came to be here?’

She waited a few seconds for Cassandra to meet her eyes.

‘You were on a starship. It was attacked. Do you recall these events?’

Cassandra’s face crumpled and she squeezed her eyes shut, but she nodded again.

‘Cassandra, the ship was attacked by a species known as the Borg. Do you know of them?’

She shook her head.

‘They are a species of cybernetic humanoid whose only goal is to erase diversity throughout the galaxy. To... make everyone like them, so there aren’t any individuals anymore.’ Her metal hand flexed uncontrollably where it rested against her knee. ‘It was with this goal in mind that your vessel was attacked. They attempted to assimilate you and it took many hours to surgically remove their alterations from your system. Unfortunately, your arm was not salvageable, and at present you wear a standard-issue rudimentary replicated prosthetic. I promise I will procure a more permanent complex limb as soon as I can.’

Cassandra’s eyes darted down to the stiff white hand, seeming to notice it for the first time. She flexed the mechanised fingers experimentally, then brought the non-human and existing human hand together in a clap. Seven smiled slightly, impressed with how bravely and easily she was accepting the change.

‘I was assimilated at a young age also, see?’ she said, showing the girl the metal lancing across her left hand. Cassandra examined it gravely, then reached out and pressed cautious fingertips to Seven’s ocular implant, feeling the ridges. Seven held still, allowing the touch. Cassandra stroked the curvature around her eye, and then touched her own eyebrow, checking for metal. Then she pointed at Seven’s hand and made a claw gesture, screwing up her face in imaginary pain.

‘No, Cassandra, it does not hurt me. Is your arm hurting you? Because I can ask the EMH to-’

She stopped- the girl was shaking her head no.

A moment of silence passed as they stared at one another.

‘This next information is difficult for me to impart to you.’

Cassandra stared at her, then looked down at her hands, seemingly preempting the next words.

‘Your parents were killed. I am sorry.’

She shivered, then wrapped her arms around herself. Seven kept looking at her face. Eventually, she put a gentle hand on the girl’s thin shoulder.

‘As of yet any search for blood relatives is unsuccessful, if not impossible- there is the additional difficulty that you were put in stasis many years ago, almost before even my assimilation. Thus, the only grandparent who would be likely still alive would be your Vulcan grandmother. Do you remember her?’

Trembling slightly, she frowned and shook her head.

‘I thought that likely due to your heritage. In that case, as the situation stands, your options are the federation foster system, or… me.’

Cassandra looked up sharply, and Seven took both the girl’s hands in her own, looking her in the eyes.

‘Cassandra, I would like to become your adoptive parent and legal guardian. I am aware I could never supplant your original mother and father but it is within my capabilities to provide you with a safe and comfortable home. However, whilst I may desire this particular outcome, nothing bad will happen if you say no. You are free to go with whatever you choose, and you don’t need to answer right away. Is that alright?’

She nodded hesitantly.

‘Now, I’m afraid I have something I’ve got to do for the next four hours- I want to be prepared, and find a home for us if you do choose to live with me, but you will be safe with my friends. Okay?’

Another nod.

‘Okay. Let’s go find Raffi.’

She held out a hand to help Cassandra hop off the bed.

Raffi was in her quarters, according to the computer. Seven rapped gently on the door.

‘What- Oh, hey there,’ Raffi said, immediately getting to her knees when she noticed the child.

‘What’s your name, honey? I’m Raffi,’ she told her, holding out a hand.

‘She does not seem to want to talk at the moment, but her name is Cassandra.’

Raffi nodded.

‘Cassandra, huh? It’s real pretty but sort of a mouthful. How’d you feel if I called you Cassie, for short?’

Cassandra met her gaze and shook her hand seriously.

‘It’s lovely to meet you, Cassie.’

She grinned and then looked up at Seven.

‘I must be away for a few hours. I was hoping you would not mind-’

‘You want me to keep an eye on her?’ She nodded. ‘Sure, hon. Cassie and I will have a great time, I’m sure.’ She winked at the girl, who smiled shyly and turned her face away against Seven’s leg.

‘I will be back by dinnertime, okay Cassandra?’

Cassie nodded and hesitantly walked over to Raffi into the doorway of her room.

‘She should be alright, although she-’

‘Hey, it’s okay. Go do your errand, she’ll be fine until you come back.’

Seven nodded and waved to them both, heading for the shuttle bay.

Raffi watched her go, stroking an absent hand across the top of Cassie’s bald head.

‘I wonder what color your hair will turn out to be,’ she murmured.

Cassie touched the back of her head tentatively, then pulled a face.

‘What, you don’t like your hair color? Or it feels weird to not have any hair?’

She shrugged.

‘Ok, what do you want to do? Are you hungry? Want to get some food?’

A head-shake.

‘Hm, ok… are you artsy?’

Another shrug.

‘Uh, how’d you feel about jenga?’

This time Cassie frowned for a moment before nodding in recognition.

‘Great, we can do that then. The common room’s right this way, come on.’

She walked in front, with Cassie holding onto the hem of her cardigan, and they both sat down at the table in the mess hall. Raffi replicated a set of wooden blocks and set them on the table. She started building the standard three-by-three square tower, but got distracted a few minutes in when she looked over to see Cassie stacking the long blocks into funny little structures. She dismantled her tower and started making a little parthenon-shaped thing instead. 

‘What’s yours?’

Cassie smiled slightly and then walked two fingers across the table and inside the biggest structure.

‘It’s a village? Can I add buildings?’

She nodded, and they worked together until a whole host of buildings was grouped in the center of the table around the tallest one.

‘This one can be… a school? An academy. An academy for…. wizards,’ she said.

Cassie giggled and started laying blocks sidelong in a line around the perimeter of the village to make a wall. Raffi helped her until it went all the way around, three blocks high, then they took away a few from the side they’d decided was the front to make an entrance-way. They left some space running around the middle of the village and Cassie made a *psssh* sound, waving her hand along the gap.

‘Oh, I get it, it’s a river,’ Raffi said. ‘We could fill it with something?’

They made two careful barriers running along either side of the river and Raffi replicated a bag of tiny wooden peas. Cassie took the bag and poured it carefully into the space until there were peas running all through the village. A few rolled through the entrance bit and off the edge of the table, onto the floor.

Cassie put one final block standing vertically at the top of the wizard academy like a spire, and the whole tower shook a little. She looked at Raffi hopefully.

‘I want to take a picture first.’

She took a couple holos, slipping the padd back into her pocket and making a personal note to send them over to Seven at the end of the day.

‘Go ahead, honey,’ she told her, winking.

Cassie looked back at the village with some satisfaction, then took the last block from Raffi’s initial replicated pile and threw it as hard as she could at the base of the tower. It wobbled, then fell over slowly with a mighty crash. Raffi applauded, and after a moment Cassie started clapping too.

‘All hail Cassandra, creator and destroyer of worlds,’ she said, mock-bowing to Cassie, who snorted. She swept the felled blocks into a box and tipped it back into the replicator, sitting down at the table again.

‘What should we do now… Hey, you wanna draw? Let’s draw.’

She smiled at Cassie then stared blankly down at the table.

Cassie looked at her for a few seconds.

‘Oh, uh, we need pens! Pens and paper.’

She replicated a pad and some colored felt tips.

‘I think I’m gonna draw… a horse. Have you ever seen a horse?’

Cassie shook her head and picked up a purple felt tip.

‘Well, I used to ride them when I was a kid. Grew up near a ranch.’

Raffi chose a green pen and started drawing.

‘There was this one mare, her name was Harmony, boy, she was a real biter…’

She rambled on for fifteen minutes or so while they both scribbled away. A few times, she caught Cassie grinning at her stories. The green lines on her paper began to form into something passably equine, and after she’d finished the face she put it to one side to look at the other drawing. Cassie had illustrated what was clearly a human figure, a lady with arms sticking rigidly out of her torso and five outstretched fingers on each hand. The lady had blonde straw thatching out from either side of her pale face- obviously hair- and as Raffi watched, a dark grey c-shape was drawn carefully over the left eye.

‘It’s Seven?’

Cassie looked up and nodded.

‘It’s good, she looks just like that- serious but kind of nice too.’

She smiled.

‘I’ve finished my horse, is that done?’

Cassie put a hand protectively over the drawing and shook her head.

‘Alright, alright, I’m not gonna try and take it. How about… how about I read you something, while you work on it?’ She put her hand in her pocket and came out with the padd. Minimizing the information Seven had drawn up, she found a way to access the computer’s automatic library of some ten thousand reference books and skimmed through until she found the section on earth children’s fiction.

‘Hm, no, no, probably not- ah! Yes, I remember this one, this’ll do nicely,’ she muttered, scrolling through file directories. 

She cleared her throat and began to read.

‘Once on a dark winter’s day, when the yellow fog hung so thick and heavy in the streets of London that the lamps were lighted and the shop windows blazed with gas as they do at night, an odd-looking little girl sat in a cab with her father and was driven rather slowly through the big thoroughfares (that means roads).

She sat with her feet tucked under her, and leaned against her father, who held her in his arm, as she stared out of the window at the passing people with a queer old-fashioned thoughtfulness in her big eyes.

She was such a little girl that one did not expect to see such a look on her small face. It would have been an old look for a child of twelve, and Sara Crewe was only seven.’

She’d gotten to the end of the first chapter when in her periphery she saw Cassie cover a yawn. She turned off the padd screen and slipped it back into her jacket.

‘I think that’s enough for now- may I see?’

Cassie pushed the drawing over.

Seven had now acquired a scrawly grey jacket and grey lines across one lumpy hand. A square red house had appeared in the background, with a green strip of garden streaming cheerfully away from the front door. Next to Seven was another figure, towering over her, a bald girl in a triangular dress with one chunky white arm and the other carefully colored in the same tan as the rest of her skin.

‘Is that you?’

‘Mm,’ hummed Cassie in agreement.

‘I think it’s lovely. Seven’s going to think it’s lovely, too- do you want to give it to her when she gets back?

She nodded.

Raffi settled forwards onto her elbows, trying to soften her face as much as possible.

‘Do you think you wanna live with her, then?’

Cassie scrunched up her face, then shrugged, and then she nodded.

‘Yeah? Cool. Um, she’s… she’s a nice lady. And she can be tough and scary, too, so you can be sure you’ll be safe with her.’

Cassie grinned and nodded again.

‘Can we check in with the doctor now? I don’t want you pushing yourself too hard or anything.’

Raffi took the shrug as a go-ahead.

‘Computer, activate the emergency medical hologram.’

Emil materialised next to the table.

‘Please state the nature of your emergency.’

‘Hey, Emil. Just wanted you to check Cassie over.’

He looked down at Cassie and smiled brightly, pulling out a tricorder.

‘Hello there! How have you been feeling today, young lady?’

Cassie wavered a hand about in the air and then gave a small thumbs up.

‘Well, I’m glad to hear it! And how’s that arm, hm?’

She stretched out the aforementioned limb, twisting her hand around experimentally, before doing another thumbs up.

‘Wonderful, wonderful. You know, it takes a very brave girl to accommodate a change like that so quickly- you should be proud.’

She looked away and blushed.

Now speaking to Raffi again, Emil said ‘She’s recovering impressively well, you’ve got nothing to worry about, though she could probably do with a meal sometime soon.’

‘Thanks.’

‘Will that be all?’

Just then, she thought she picked up on the echoey sound of the transporter pad firing up. Cassie looked at her quickly, obviously recognizing it for what it was.

‘Yeah, thanks. Computer, deactivate EMH,’ she said briefly, before turning to Cassie. ‘Sounds like Seven’s back, let’s go.’

They walked towards the doorway, only for Cassie to dart back to the table as they were about to leave.

‘Honey, what are-’ Raffi started, before watching her carefully fold Raffi’s scrawly horse drawing and put it in her pocket. She looked up guiltily, eyes wide. Raffi laughed.

‘Alright, keep it if you want, there’s no accounting for taste,’ she said.

In the other room, Seven was stepping off the transporter holding a thin grey case. Her face creased into a smile when Cassie went towards her, and she reached down to squeeze her shoulder lightly before turning to Raffi.

‘Thank you for watching Cassandra.’

‘Hey, it was nothing. She- she’s a really great kid, alright?’

Seven fought to keep a smile off her face.

‘Do you wanna give Seven your drawing, honey?’

Cassie nodded shyly, and brought the drawing out from behind her back. 

‘Is this for me?’ Seven asked. ‘Thank you very much, Cassandra. It is accomplished.’

She folded it carefully and put it in the grey case, pulling a padd out.

‘I recorded several holos of the residence I plan to purchase,’ she said to Raffi, swiping through shots. ‘I would be grateful for your opinion.’

The house was one-story and surprisingly fairly open-plan, with large windows and a decent amount of land outside. Raffi whistled.

‘Nice place. That rangers gig of yours must pay well.’

‘I have lived frugally for a long time- I suppose I have not had reason to buy things.’

‘Yeah, well, be ready for that to change- kids are pricier than you’d expect.’

Eventually Raffi took the padd and swiped slower, zooming in on several details. She noticed the four bedrooms, enough for two adults, a child and a guest room, but chose not to comment.

‘What do you think?’

‘I’d go for it. Is it far away from the nearest town?’

‘Far enough that there are no neighbours for a considerable distance, near enough that walking to pick up groceries is feasible.’

Raffi laughed.

‘That’s the dream!’

‘Agreed.’

‘Nice weather on this planet?’

‘Osiris. I believe so- the planting season is the longest and the winters aren’t too cold.’

‘Neat. What’s the rest of the continent like?’

‘The house is in close proximity to the coast, and there are several mountain ranges to the east.’

She handed the padd back to Seven.

‘Looks perfect. Like, bizarrely perfect.’

‘Last night, I surveyed one thousand, four hundred and fifty eight potential properties.’

‘Jesus. Well, you picked a great one.’

‘I am grateful for your opinion.’

‘Sure. Uh, if that’s everything, I’ll be off then.’

‘Thank you again for your assistance today.’

Raffi leaned down and held up her hand, and Cassie gave her a tentative high-five.

‘See you round, kiddo.’

Rios was in his room as expected when she knocked, and she didn’t even say hello before dropping into a chair and sighing.

‘Feel free to sit down,’ he said sarcastically. ‘What’s up?’

‘You know what’s up, seeing as she apparently asked you for my references before talking to me.’

‘Ah. Seven spoke to you about her offer, I see. I did see you hanging around with the little one today- does that mean you’re going to go for it?’

She stared at him.

‘Dude, no! Of course I’m not. Crazy borg lady. What does she think I’m gonna do, drop everything and play house for a couple decades with a woman I barely know?’

‘You don’t have much ‘everything’ to drop, Raff,’ Rios said.

She punched him in the arm.

‘Hey! I’m just being honest,’ he said, laughing and rubbing his arm.

‘Oh yeah? I’ve heard the things you’ve been saying behind my back, too,’ she frowned, ‘’I sit around waiting for the sky to fall’? What’s that even supposed to mean?’

‘You know exactly what it means. Your life right now.. It’s....’

He gestured vaguely.

‘It’s what?’

‘It’s small.’

‘Small?’

‘You stay in your house and you drink and you feel bitter. I hadn’t even heard from you for months before you called me.’

‘Don’t exaggerate, asshole. I do things. I have friends.’

‘Do you?’

He was silent for a moment, then looked up at her strangely.

‘Look, I- I think you should do it.’

‘Yeah, right.’

‘I’m serious, Raff.’

She rolled her eyes.

‘Great. You’re crazy too.’

‘Are you really just going to sit around punishing yourself until you wither away?’

‘I’m not-’

‘Hey, I didn’t- Listen to me! I didn’t say anything four years ago, when that fancy freighter captain came calling looking for a second-in-command and you turned him down without a thought because you said the job wasn’t ‘good enough’, or whatever it was. And yeah, when you told me you were moving out there to that little piece-of-shit house in Vasquez Rocks because you were too ashamed to keep seeing all your old Starfleet pals around, I should’ve tried a lot harder to make you stay in the city. But enough is enough, Raffi. Your poor little lie-down-and-rot routine isn’t going to work with me anymore.’

Raffi’s cheeks went red and she looked at Rios like she might hit him.

‘Routine?! You make it sound like I’m sulking over some fixable little mistake, Cris! I lost my husband and my fucking son! I drove them away! I’m never going to stop punishing myself because this is a life sentence, do you understand?!’ She rubbed a hand roughly across her eyes to stem the tears.

Rios sighed and pulled her into a tight hug. She pushed weakly at his chest before softening.

‘I didn’t mean it like that. And I know it wasn’t trivial. I just- Look, that ‘crazy borg lady’ is offering you a life back. A weird life, sure, but a home? A family? People to love? That’s not something I could say no to- and I don’t intend to let you say no to it either.’

‘If you want it so bad, you offer to raise the damn child yourself,’ she said wetly into his shoulder.

Rios cracked a wistful smile.

‘You know this hand of fate isn’t mine to take.’

‘It’s not mine either!’

‘Yes, it is. Why do you think Seven of Nine asked you, hm? She sees the instincts in you. The need to care for other people like that. She knows who you are. She can see what I can see. A generous, warm person and a good mother.’

‘We both know that’s not true.’

He shrugged.

‘Maybe once upon a time you were not ready and you let things spin out of control, but it’s been years. I think I’ve known you long enough to make accurate assessments of your character, yes? And I say you’re stronger now.’

She pulled away from him a little to look him in the eyes.

‘I- I don’t know if I could handle fucking it up again,’ she told him in a small voice. ‘I don’t think I could take it.’

‘Well, that’s alright, because you won’t,’ he said firmly. ‘And if you do Seven will be there to pick up the slack.’

‘Seven!’ Raffi groaned, falling back on the bed. ‘What about her, hm? How can I possibly consider living for the next twenty years for a woman I’ve barely known twenty-four hours!’

‘Stranger things have happened.’

Raffi gave him an unimpressed look.

‘Okay, okay- tell me what you think of her.’

‘I don’t know her! That’s kind of the point!’

‘No, your first impression.’

‘She’s… strange.’

Rios raised his eyebrows.

‘Fine! And brave, and smart, and impressive, and interesting. Stop smirking at me like that.’

‘Someone you’d like to get to know better?’

‘Sure. Not someone I’d move in with!’

‘You told me once about your first roommate at starfleet, what was her name? Frida or something?’

‘Fred.’

‘Yeah, I remember you saying something about how at first you found her sort of twitchy and odd, but once you got to know her, she-’

‘Yeah, yeah, she became one of my closest friends.’

‘Well, you’d never met her before and suddenly you were living together, and that went pretty well.’

‘That’s totally different! You can’t compare an academy dorm situation to- to whatever this thing is!’

‘Seems to me like I just did.’

She frowned at him.

‘Look, hey, if you do it for a month and it’s a disaster you can go back to Vasquez Rocks. Why not try, though? It could be the best decision of your life. Just… don’t dismiss it because it sounds intense.’

‘You really think it could work?’

‘I really do.’ He put his hands on either side of her upper arms and looked her intently in the eyes. ‘You’ve done your time, Raff. Maybe you deserve to have something good again.’

Several hours later, after night had fallen and Seven had put Cassie to bed, Raffi flung open her door.

‘Alright, fine.’

Seven startled out of the chair she was sitting in and looked round at her.

‘Fine?’ she said slowly.

‘Fine, I want to raise Cassie with you, if you’ll have me.’ Raffi said, trying not to think about how her voice was coming out rough and uncertain.

Seven, however, broke into a smile.

‘You'll do it?’

‘All of it. Move into that swanky house I've never been to, raise a half-cyber girl, hell, we can even adopt a dog if you want.’

‘Are you... sure?’

‘This might be the craziest thing I've ever done, but as has been pointed out to me multiple times,’ and here she paused to glare at Seven for a moment, ‘I've got nothing for me anywhere else. Are YOU sure? About me? I'm- I can be- I'm kinda-’

‘I am sure, I am very sure,’ said Seven firmly, cutting her off.

‘Well then, fuck it, it's you and me, honey. Let's do this thing,’ Raffi declared, smiling back a little and bumping Seven's hip lightly with her own. ‘I warn you, I can't cook. And I leave my clothes on the floor.’

Seven grinned.

‘May I embrace you?’ she said.

Raffi snorted at her formal tone and threw her arms around the taller woman.

‘Might as well start getting touchy-feely, seeing as we’re going to spend the foreseeable future together,’ she said outwardly.

And feeling herself soften into Seven’s arms around her, the warmth of her body, the wisps of hair touching her cheek, she thought to herself  _ uh oh, maybe not too touchy-feely. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hooo boy, it's been a hot second. And by that I mean, like, a month. However, in fairness to me, (...or maybe I just want to make excuses,) I think what we're all experiencing right now qualifies by all known definitions as 'extenuating circumstances'. Sorry to fail immediately at our own update schedule.  
> And another thing- this is my (QTA)'s first chapter, and I know it's very... dialogue-heavy. I'm bad at action, what can I say! I'm just leaving all that business to MrsC- we hope the sequential style shifting isn't too jarring.  
> Lastly... bonus points if you recognise the city Raffi and Cassie build together. I couldn't resist.


End file.
